


Light of Life

by KINGBeerZ



Series: An Elf, A Dwarf and A Man [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Backstory, Circle of Magi, Elves, Gen, Light Angst, Mages, Pre-Canon, Templars, The Chantry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-17
Updated: 2017-10-17
Packaged: 2019-01-18 14:21:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12389856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KINGBeerZ/pseuds/KINGBeerZ
Summary: Denerim was by no means a beautiful city, it lacked the graceful and pristine architecture of Val Royeux, and the ancient thrum of power and majesty displayed by Minrathous. Denerim was a sprawling mass, from the sturdy manses of the noble district to the squalor and shanties of the alienage, to the vivacity and noise of the marketplace it was a city of extremes. Said marketplace was where Mithos Surana found himself in 9:19 Dragon at the end of Harvestmere where he and three of his siblings were following their beleaguered mother as she struggled through the crowd of humans and tried to purchase the food needed for her family’s Saturnalia celebration.A backstory of how Mithos Surana ended up in the circle (planned to be part of a larger work).





	Light of Life

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone, this is the first work I've posted on AO3 (and the second fic I have written period!) I hope everyone enjoys this piece of backstory for my Surana, Mithos (ten points for anyone who gets where the name comes from :P). I plan to write more and have this be part of a larger multi warden fic, I am currently working on a similar piece, also set eleven years pre-canon for the next warden, so watch this space and hopefully I will post more for you guys soon. I really hope everyone enjoys a shoutout to Ray_Murata who has Beta'd this work for me, and also encouraged me to write stuff for Dragon Age, if you haven't yet, go check out their fic Wayward Heart, it's awesome. Enjoy!

Denerim was by no means a beautiful city, it lacked the graceful and pristine architecture of Val Royeux, and the ancient thrum of power and majesty displayed by Minrathous. Denerim was a sprawling mass, from the sturdy manses of the noble district to the squalor and shanties of the alienage, to the vivacity and noise of the marketplace it was a city of extremes. Said marketplace was where Mithos Surana found himself in 9:19 Dragon at the end of Harvestmere where he and three of his siblings were following their beleaguered mother as she struggled through the crowd of humans and tried to purchase the food needed for her family’s Saturnalia celebration.  
“And then, Kallian dumped the bird’s nest, eggs and all on the guard’s head” Lil, Mithos’ older sister cried out, breaking into a cackle of laughter, which she promptly stifled as their mother Dyra turned a withering look at her daughter.  
“Did she really though? Wouldn’t she get in trouble?” Mithos often felt that the supposed exploits of his sister’s best friend seemed greatly exaggerated. Lil however just vigorously nodded her head before whispering a reply.  
“She never does, I heard from Soris that her mum taught her how to be all sneaky, so none of the humans can ever notice her if she doesn’t want them to.” She looked down into the bag she was carrying and made a face.  
“And all Mamae ever teaches us is how to do chores and go to the chantry” she complained  
“I like the chantry, it’s peaceful there,” Mithos softly replied, to which Lil rolled her eyes  
“It’s nothing but a bunch of humans looking down at us, they think they’re so much better than us! Won’t even sell us good food” looking into the bag he was holding Mithos couldn’t really fault his sister’s logic. Whereas the vendors showed off their finest and leanest and finest cuts for the human patrons passing by their stalls, any elves were shoved off with old and sometimes rotten meat, limp and wilted vegetables and stale bread. Still even then he looked forward to the Saturnalia feast, an event celebrated by the whole alienage together, this thought prompted a question to his mind.  
“Mamae, will Dad be at the Saturnalia dinner?” he called out. Dyra turned around and gave her son a strained smile.  
“Maybe he will Mithos” As she turned back she muttered under her breath “if he’s not out the whole night drinking away all our money again.” Lil scoffed next to him.  
“Lil, if the chantry says that all people are created equal, why would they look down at us then?” he asked as the group of elves exited from the packed crowds around the stalls and proceeded towards the alienage gates. Lil just shook her head.  
“Mithos, just because Mamae says the chantry doesn’t lie, doesn’t mean they don’t. Humans say these nice things but they don’t think that they apply to elves” she sadly sighed.  
“But, then why-“ Mithos’ question was cut off by a shriek.  
A few metres ahead of the children Dyra was struggling with a human man who had a firm grasp on the bag of food that she was holding. She was practically being flung around, her dull blonde hair whipping back and forth as the far larger man tried to dislodge the deathgrip she had on her bag. Mithos frantically looked around the area, no one was helping, why was no one helping? He spotted a few guards on the opposite side of the marketplace, he turned to his younger twin siblings Mae and Darrick, who were standing close together quivering.  
“Go get the guards!” Mithos commanded pointing to the men he had spotted. Eager to escape the scene the two seven year olds rushed to obey his command. Looking back to his Mamae he saw the human man shoving a hand in her face in an attempt to push her away from her bag, an unfortunate finger of his got bitten when he put it too close to Dyra’s mouth.  
“DAMN KNIFE EARED BITCH!” the human shouted as he yanked his hand away. Lil took off running towards the struggling pair, having picked up a rock off the ground. Mithos started to follow his sister when he saw a sight that made him go cold. The human drew a knife and plunged it into his mamae’s stomach. For a moment she went still with a gasp before she collapsed to the ground shrieking in pain.  
“Take this human!” Lil shouted in pain and rage, flinging the rock she held and smacking the man hard in the side of his head, blood began rapidly spilling from the cut that sprang up there. The human staggered dropping the stolen groceries. He turned to the pair of children with a murderous glare before he looked behind them and a look of terror passed across his face, causing him to flee off into the maze of back alleys.  
Not giving any more thought to the fleeing man Mithos sprinted over to where his mamae lay on the ground screaming and convulsing, whilst her dirty brown dress was quickly being stained crimson. Mithos registered Lil kneeling beside him as he felt fat hot tears roll down his face continuously.  
“Mamae…” he sobbed, the woman either didn’t hear him or was too absorbed in her pained wails to answer. Mithos hugged her tightly, screwing his eyes shut.  
“Don’t die mamae, don’t die… please” He felt a strange feeling course through himself, like a gust of wind inside his body and suddenly his mamae stopped shouting and screaming. He pulled back terrified that he would see her dead. Rather he was greeted by her looking very much horrified. Dyra sat up slightly and pulled at the hole in her bodice to peer at the wound, or rather where the wound would have been. She turned that same horrified gaze towards Mithos, and the boy couldn’t comprehend what was causing it.  
A heavy gauntleted hand gripped Mithos’ shoulder tightly, causing him to shriek in surprise and squirm against the pain.  
“Be still elf” Mithos turned to identify the voice, seeing the pair of armoured guards he had sent Mae and Darrick to retrieve, his younger siblings were looking at him like he’d grown a second head that was spewing fire. Growing seriously worried he looked towards Lil, whose face held nothing but pity.  
“Mithos…” she breathed.  
“Ma’am, we’ll need to take your son to the Templars at the chantry” One guard (the one with Mithos’ shoulder in a death grip) gruffly addressed Dyra as she lay on the ground.  
“Do it” she coldly replied.  
“Ma’am we’ll need you to come with us, are you able to walk?” the other guard asked, somewhat more considerately. She just nodded. Mithos’ head spun as the guards began to march him away as his Mamae and siblings followed after, a small crowd having gathered to watch the bizarre procession. Mithos wondered why they were taking him to the Templars, Templars protected people against mages, and he wasn’t… he couldn’t be.  
As the pair of guards ushered him through the city he turned several times to try and call out and gain his mamae’s attention, every time she just looked away as if she hadn’t heard him. Mithos felt a hard lump rising in his throat and his guts clenched together. He just wanted someone to talk to him, to tell him what was happening, yet somehow he was the focus of everyone’s attention and ignored simultaneously.  
Upon entering the chantry the pair of guards promptly marched Mithos down a side hall, one of them opened a door to a small dark side room, and shoved the elven boy inside, where he promptly toppled over from the force of the push.  
“You, wait here.” He gruffly commanded, as Mithos staggered to stand up he heard a lock thunk into place. Looking around he identified himself as being in a fairly bare store room, a couple of boxes sitting in one corner and a broom in another, the room’s only source of light was a window high up on the wall, far beyond the reach of an eight year old child. Feeling completely helpless Mithos curled up in one corner of the room and began to softly cry.  
\--#--  
“Sir Corbin, the Captain needs you in the chantry’s main hall” Sir Corbin lurched awake, blearily trying and failing to identify who it was that barked the order, perhaps it was Sir Reina, his mind was too frazzled to identify for certain. He recognized however it was an order he couldn’t ignore, coming from the Knight Captain. Simultaneously cursing the bastard for calling on him before noon when he’d had a full night shift the night before and fighting off the nagging cravings for lyrium he managed to struggle out of bed. Hastily donning his armour he groggily walked from the compound into the chantry, the combination of the glaringly bright sun and the sharp smell of incense that assaulted his nose upon entering the chantry allowing him to throw off the last vestiges of sleep.  
Entering the chantry he saw the Knight Captain Medea with Sir Reina standing to her right, currently engaged in conversation with an elven woman, who seemed to be in remarkably good health considering her dress was covered in massive bloodstains.  
“Very well miss..” Captain Medea started. Corbin fell into place a step behind and to her left as a show of solidarity.  
“Surana, Dyra Surana Sir” the elven woman simpered.  
“Alright, Miss Surana, can you describe the incident which led to the discovery of the mage?” The captain requested. Corbin stifled a groan, if a mage had been found and he had been called on by the captain chances were he’d have to make the journey to Kinloch Hold, which could be well over a month for a return trip, with winter coming on the very idea sounded unbearable.  
“Well your holiness, there was a man in marketplace trying to steal my groceries, and all of a sudden he stabs me, as I fell down I saw my children Mithos and Lil here” she nudged a very surly looking girl to emphasize her point, “running up to me.”  
“So the magic first appeared as an attack on your assailant?” the Captain queried. Mrs Surana furiously shook her head.  
“No, my daughter throwing a rock at him and the guards showing up scared him off. While this happened I was on the ground, certain I was going to die, when Mithos came up to me, there was a green light, and somehow he healed my wound” As she finished her recounting the woman vividly gestured towards her stomach, where a stab wound should be.  
“I knew then and there I did, that it was my duty to send my boy to the care of you Templars, as any good Andrastrian would” the woman’s voice was sickeningly sycophantic as she said the last statement. Knight Captain Medea merely gave her a nod of confirmation, although Corbin was surprised. It was rare to see magic first manifest as healing especially during times of stress for the individual mage.  
“Is there any history of magic in your family, Mrs Surana?” the woman thought for a moment.  
“Oh there was my older brother, but we don’t really talk about him anymore” the captain gave a soft hum in response.  
“And the date of birth of your son for chantry records mam?”  
“Oh that’d be fourteenth of Cloudreach 9:11, Dragon your holiness” the woman rattled off.  
“Very well mam, the chantry will see to it that you are fairly compensated for the loss of your child, and your willing co-operation.” The Captain concluded professionally. The elven woman gave her sweetest and most devout smile, the effect somewhat soured by the reek of blood coming off of her.  
“Oh I thank you so much for the chantry’s kindness, I do have six mouths to feed.” The captain beckoned the pair of knights to follow her. As she led the way out of the main hall Corbin heard an argument breaking out behind him.  
“You’re just giving him to them!?”  
“Quiet Lil!”  
“Mamae, he saved you, and you’re selling him to humans.”  
“I said Quiet! Mithos is a mage, and mages need to go to the circle, simple as that, I’m doing what’s right and what’s best.”  
“You don’t even care abou-“ the argument was cut off by the door closing shut behind Sir Corbin, as much as he could understand the girl’s indignity her mother was right, mages needed to be protected, the circle was the only place for them.  
“Sir Reina, see to the preparations for travel, I need you and sir Corbin to escort the child to the circle tower.” Knight Captain Medea commanded. Corbin held in a sigh of annoyance at the confirmation of his fears, he just had to hope now that the kid would be cooperative, the journey to the circle was always far more tedious and difficult with a struggling mageling being dragged along. Worse were the ones who tried using their magic to attack or escape. He’d had to subdue far too many children with smites and magebane poison for his liking.  
“Sir Corbin, the child is in storeroom two, go and retrieve him, he will need to be prepared for the journey” she continued.  
“Yes Knight Captain.” Both Templars snapped a salute and set about their appointed tasks. Corbin ran a hand through his hair, of course he’d have to be the one to retrieve the child, he supposed it was the wise choice. With her mage fire scarring Reina’s face was a bit intimidating for a likely confused and scared eight year old to handle, sure was useful for scaring the life out of Maleficar though.  
Finding the door to the storeroom Sir Corbin prepared himself for the deflection of any spell the mage might try to throw at him upon entering. It was never wise to underestimate the capabilities of a cornered mage. As he pushed open the door to the dimly lit room no magic assailed him and Corbin breathed a slight sigh of relief. Looking around the slightly dusty room, it didn’t take him long to notice the form of a shaking child curled up in the corner of the room, a mop of bright blonde hair visible.  
“Are you Mithos?” he called to the child from his position just within the doorway. The elf’s head snapped up, and looked at Corbin with a pair unnervingly pale grey bloodshot eyes.  
“Where’s Mamae?” The child asked.  
“Your mother was in the entrance hall earlier, but she may have left by now. I need you to come with me” As he spoke he slowly approached the scrawny child, careful not to startle him. The boy’s eyes glanced him up and down, lingering on the crest on his breastplate.  
“Why do I need to go with you? I want to go home,” the boy asked in a small voice.  
“You are a mage, and I need to take you to the circle, so you need to come with me.” Sir Corbin leaned down to be at a closer level to the child, who was now furiously shaking his head, strands of limp hair whipping back and forth.  
“I’m not a mage, I’m not-“ He started denying and Corbin quickly cut him off, laying a gauntleted hand firmly on the child’s shoulder.  
“You performed magic today which has been witnessed and reported. You are a mage. You need to come with me,” he said slowly and deliberately.  
“But… but” Mithos whimpered. Corbin felt maybe a different approach was needed.  
“Don’t be too upset Mithos, you did a good deed. You may have saved your mother’s life. If you come with me to the circle, the mages there can teach you how to do more good with your magic” he placated, and the child stopped sniffling.  
“I could help more people then…” he trailed off, Corbin felt like a final push was needed to get the child moving.  
“Your mother was very sad to find out she’d have to lose you, but she said that it was important that you be somewhere safe, with people who could help you learn” Corbin lied. The child sniffled loudly and wiped his nose on his sleeve. He looked at Corbin once more, eyes no longer so distraught, but more resolved.  
“Okay, I’ll go with you” Corbin gave the kid a smile and patted him on the back.  
“Alright, I’ll take you to meet Reina, she’ll be helping us get to the circle… and Mithos, don’t mention her scars.”


End file.
